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The England head coach detested the label Bazball since it was coined, viewing it as reductive and maybe foreseeing how it could be weaponised in the future. Right now, down 2-0 in an away Ashes series that started with great expectations, it has become the butt of Australian jokes.

However the coach has not helped himself either. After the gut-wrenching loss at the Gabba, his claim that, if anything, England were 'over-prepared' prior to the day-night Test was like trying to put out a bin fire with petrol. It risks becoming his lasting legacy as national coach if performances do not improve.

On one level, one must admire his dedication to the philosophy. While McCullum claims to ignore outside criticism, he will have been acutely aware of an England team often described as freewheeling and underprepared.

The reality, as ever, is more nuanced. England enjoy golf just as much during their necessary down time as their rivals and they train just as much. Before the Gabba Test, they did more, completing five days compared to Australia's three, given their limited experience to the pink ball and the different seeing conditions.

The Debate of Readiness and Practice

McCullum's point about being "over-prepared" was that those five extra days were his decision – the instance he blinked in his belief that minimal preparation is best. It suggested a Test match's worth of mental energy was used up before they even stepped out in the cauldron of Australia's fortress. And though nets are a chance to refine skills, they can also become a safety blanket; zero consequence work that mainly keeps the reflexes sharp.

Schedules are congested such that warm-up matches against state sides were not possible (and uncertain value, as shown by England playing three before the 5-0 series loss in 2013-14). What is harder to square is the disregard of domestic red-ball cricket as a worthwhile exercise more broadly, as shown by a young player's wasted summer.

On-Field Shortcomings and Philosophical Lack of Evolution

Only playing hardens cricketers for the many situations they encounter, and it is here where England have so far fallen well short. It is not only with the bat – as poor as some of the shot selection has been – but an bowling attack that seems without a spearhead. None has demonstrated the patience or discipline that the exceptional Mitchell Starc and his teammates have delivered.

McCullum's unconventional approach was freeing during its initial year, an excellent, well diagnosed solution to shake off the torpor that preceded it. The disappointment now comes in how it has apparently not evolved past that point – the lack of an second phase to the original software that has seen results decline to an even record from their last 30 Tests.

Player Focus and Selection Dilemmas

Among them is the wicketkeeper-batter, a gifted player, undoubtedly, but one who is being mercilessly targeted on both edges and missed two key chances as wicketkeeper. It probably does not help when your opposite number, the Australian keeper, has just delivered a masterful display.

Going by McCullum's words in the aftermath, England look likely to persist with Smith in Adelaide. The hope – as is the case – is that a return to a more familiar match environment triggers his top form, with Perth's bouncy pitch and the unusual floodlit Test now in the past.

Another option is to implement the plan discovered during the victorious series in New Zealand 12 months ago by moving the batsman down to his more natural home as a busy No. 5 or 6, giving him the gloves, and picking a new No 3. A young contender scored runs for the Lions recently, or perhaps an all-rounder could perform a comparable function to Moeen Ali in 2023.

In the end, these changes is ideal, however Australia's superior basics having shattered expectations and forced the team's entire approach into the spotlight.